Prof Suman Chakraborty appointed director of IIT Kharagpur
IIT Kharagpur
for a period of five years.
He will take over from the current acting director, Prof Amit Patra, also the director of IIT-Bhu, who assumed additional charge at the end of last year, following the retirement of Prof VK Tewari, the earlier director.
Prof. Chakraborty, the Institute Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at
IIT
Kharagpur, has recently been honoured with the 2026 TWAS Award in Engineering and Computer Sciences by UNESCO and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), a testimony to his contributions to micro and nanoscale flows, which have led to transformative innovations in diagnostic technologies, improving rural healthcare access and enhancing livelihoods for marginalised communities.
During his nearly 23-year-old long stint in IIT Kharagpur, Prof Chakraborty has been the recipient of several awards including the National Award for Teachers (2023), the Infosys Prize in the Category of Engineering and Computer Science, Infosys Science Foundation (2022) and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, considered the highest scientific award in India. He is widely considered to be one of the leading researchers in the country, and an innovator known for his contribution to revolutionising healthcare.
Chakraborty completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Jadavpur University and the Masters of Engineering programme from IISc Bangalore. He joined Jadavpur University as a lecturer and then got his PhD from IISC in 2002. He joined IIT Kharagpur in August 2002 as an assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering
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Since then, he has held several positions at IIT Kharagpur including Head, School of Medical Science & Technology; Associate Dean, Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy, and Dean, Research and Development/ Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy.
His current areas of research include Microfluidics, nanofluidics and affordable medical devices for community healthcare.
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